Ball valves are commonly used in many industries to control the flow of fluid/gas. This is because they offer short switching times, low torque requirements to opening and closing and air tight construction.
An example of an industry where ball valves are used is the gas industry. More specifically, gas is delivered from a processing, facility through a piping system that features a network of pipes to distribute the gas to use points located on a number of properties. Emergency gas control hall valves are positioned in each pipe that supplies gas to a property to provide a way to stop the flow of gas to the property in the event of an emergency, such as a fire on the property.
Gas companies typically have a responsibility to ensure that any gas pipe supplying gas to a property is electrically insulated from the pipe on the property receiving the gas. This is to protect the property in the event that the supply pipe becomes electrically “live” (i.e. has electrical current flowing through the metallic pipe walls) for some reason. Also, vice-versa, if the gas pipes on a property become live, the insulation prevents current from traveling back through the supply pipes and into the supply pipe system network.
A prior art approach to insulating gas supply pipes from gas receiving pipes on a property is to install an insulating coupler in the gas supply pipe leading to the property. Due to human error, however, such insulating couplers may not be installed. This results in risks to the property, gas supplier and safety of the gas customer.
Since the majority of pipes supplying gas to a property have an emergency gas control ball valve, the above insulation requirement would automatically be achieved if such a valve provided an electrical insulation function. A need therefore exists for a ball valve which has electrically insulating properties so as to remove the need to install an additional insulating coupler and thus the associated risk of human error.